Pneumatically-operated piano.



G. K. HENNIG.

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9, 1912.

Patented July 11, 1916.

HEET l.

4 SHEETS-S Fig Z.

G. K. HENNIG.

' PNE'UMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPHCATION FlLED sum: 19. 1912.

1,1 90,893. Y Patented July 11, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. K. HENNIG.

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1912.

1,190,893. Patented July 11, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

G. K. HENNIG.

PNEUMATICALLY OPERATED PIANO.

APPLICATlON man JUNE 19. 1912.

1,1 90,893. Patented July 11, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

GUSTAV KARL HENNIG, OF BOHLITZ-EI-IREN BERG, NEAR LEIPZIG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE FIRM OF LUDWIG HUPFELD AKTIENGESELLSCI-IAFT, OF BOHLITZ-EHREN- BERG, NEAR LEIPZIG, GERMANY.

PNEUMATICALLY-OPERATED PIANO.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gusrav KARL HENNIG, a subject of the King of Saxony, residing at 1 Bi'elastrasse, Bohlitz-Ehrenberg, near Leipzig, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatically-Operated Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention.

In pneumatically operated pianos controlled by a perforated note-sheet, usually all the partsof the playing device are arranged in the case of the instrument. In order that this may be done the piano case must be constructed in a particular manner. Furthermore, it is customary in some cases to divide the wind-chest into two parts to make room for the tracker bar, resulting in an unfavorable arrangement of the operating pneumatics, which can then be connected with the piano action only by means of angle-levers or the like.

The piano of the present invention is char acterized by the fact that 'anundivided wind chest with its operating pneumatics is arranged over the hammers of the piano action and in front of the wrest plank, so that the operating pneumatics can be connected with the piano action by a string or rod running downward in front of the hammers, while the tracker bar with chest is arranged outside of the case of the instrument. v

It is possible to readily place the new playing device in existing pianos, the only necessary alteration of the casing consists in supplying in the top portion of the case, at a suitable place, a small opening for the insertion of, or for the junctionof a coupling-board for the wlnd-conduits, which latter may be united with the tracker-bar and note sheet chest, whereby the tracker bar may be arranged outside of the casing, and either be detachable or be pivoted or hinged to the case, so that it may be turned back when the instrument is not pneumatically operated.

The accompanying drawings illustrate several constructions of instruments embodying this invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the new or improved instrument, with parts removed for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a part Specification of Letters Eatent.

the note' sheet Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed June 19, 1912. Serial No. 704,579.

of Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the front of the case broken away to show the wind chest extending across the piano, the left hand portion of the wind chest being in vertical section and the right hand portion in elevation. Fig. 3 is a modification of part of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4: is a side elevation, partly in section, of a further modification. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of Fig. 1, in section, to show a tracker bar conduit and its cooperating wind chest conduit.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the undivided wind-chest (4 extends over the whole width of the piano, and is arranged in front of the wrest-plank b in the interior of the piano-casing 0. At the wind-chest are the operating neumatics, each of which actuates by means of a pivoted lever e a drawing-string or wire 6. The latter is connected to a pivoted lever f arranged to operate the piano action 9 without operating the key pertaining to said action. If the pneumatics d are arranged on the lower side of the wind chest it is not necessary to connect them with the drawing-strings e by means of levers, so that each pneumatic may be connected directly with thev string or wire 6, as illustrated in Fig. 3. From the wind chest lead wind conduits in known manner to a coupling board h, which is mounted in the front panel 0 of the piano case. The coupling board it may be united in any known manner with a second coupling board *5, which is in connection with the tracker bar 70 by channels Z. The tracker bar 70 forms with the supports m for the note sheet-roll n a separate structure, which is situated outside of the case, and which during the playing of the piano will be connected with the playing mechanism inside the case by means of the coupling-board i. The connection may be effected, for instance, by thumbscrews 0 or in any other manner.

It is not necessary to arrange the coupling board in the front wall of the piano case; it may be arranged on the top 0 of the case 0 as illustrated in Fig. 1. In this case the tracker bar 70 with note sheet support m is hinged to the top of the case, so that when the piano is not in use the tracker bar may be turned back on the top into a hood or cabinet 39 and when the piano is being used the tracker bar may be turned downward into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

I claim 1. The combination with an upright piano, of supplemental mechanism comprising pneumatic valve mechanism, a Wind chest extending across the piano above the hammers of the action unit and in front of the wrest plank, actuating pneumatics mounted on said wind chest, levers for actuating said units independently of the keylevers, means to operatively connect said levers and pneumatics, a tracker bar having ducts, said wind chest having ducts within its walls connecting said valve mechanism with ports in the piano case and means whereby a direct detachable connection is made between the tracker bar ducts and the ports in said case.

2. The combination with an upright piano, of supplementary pneumatic mechanism comprising an undivided wind' chest extending across the piano above the hammers of the action units and in front of the wrest plank face, actuating pneumatics mounted directly on the wind chest, valve mechanism therefor, levers for actuating the action units independently of the key levers, means to operatively connect said )neumatics and levers a detachable mechanism comprising a tracker bar having ducts, and note sheet rolls, said wind chest having ducts within a wall connecting the valve mechanism to ports in the piano case, and means for guiding the tracker bar ducts into register with said ports in the case.

3. In combination with an upright piano,

supplementary pneumatic player mechanism including a Wind chest having the 40 usual valves, ducts and pneumatics, said wind chest disposed adjacent a piano case wall within the case above the action units, a tracker bar having the usual ducts and associated music rolls movable into and out of operative position, said tracker bar and rolls disposedoutside of the piano case, and means to guide the ducts of said bar into register with corresponding ducts of the wind chest through the piano case wall.

4. The combination with an upright piano, of supplementary pneumatic mechanism comprising an undivided wind chest extending across the piano above the hammers of the action units and in front of the wrest plank face, actuating pneumatics mounted directly on the wind chest, valve mechanism therefor, levers for actuating the action units independently of the key levers, means to operative'ly connect said pneumatics and levers, a detachable mechanism comprising a tracker bar having ducts, and note sheet rolls, said wind chest having ducts within a Wall connecting the valve mechanism to ports in the piano case and hinged means for guiding the tracker bar ducts into register with said ports in the case.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV KARL HENNIG.

lVitnesses PAUL Ko'rHL, FRIEDA BARTELS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

